


The Start of Eternity

by azureheavens



Category: Tales of Graces
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Gift Fic, One Shot, Post-Canon, What Are Feelings: A Dissertation by Lambda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-29
Updated: 2018-12-29
Packaged: 2019-09-29 16:43:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17207105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/azureheavens/pseuds/azureheavens
Summary: The one constant in his life, ageless just as he was, walked with long lavender hair grazing her ankles.





	The Start of Eternity

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Frozenleaf](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Frozenleaf/gifts).



> Hey girl I love you. Enjoy this belated birthday present you already knew was coming!

Ephinea. A small speck of a world compared to the vast emptiness surrounding it, and dwarfed further by the massive Fodra looming out of sight. The satellite world was once a trap built especially for him, but the trap had lost its barbs. Now it was Lambda’s home. Definitely not what he planned. He traversed this world through many eyes, every stage of life cycling around him. Birth, Decay, Death. Pain, Struggle, Hope. Though he saw how intense the other stages seemed to define existence, Hope was always at the end. 

Several decades ago, in a story hardly of note anymore, he was given a body of flesh as sturdy as his spirit. His existence already lasted a millennium. Others were burdened to fade away from the world, but not from memories. The one constant in his life, ageless just as he was, walked with long lavender hair grazing her ankles. 

Protos Heis, his enemy, now Sophie, his friend.

Lambda traveled Ephinea often. He was never suited for playing house with the children and the grandchildren and the great grandchildren of his first friends. Sophie fared better, having been awarded the title of sister and aunt to them all. Lambda brushed off every title they bestowed on him, while good Sophie would use every single one of them behind his back. 

She would occasionally journey with him, fending off bandits in the Strahtan desert, surveying the world from Windor’s grand vistas, fostering the growing life on Fodra’s surface, readying it for its mother’s return. On this occasion, they came to Fendel’s capital, returning from his annual task of keeping those Amarcians in line with their antics. The two stopped at Zavhert’s inn for the night. Agelessness, in this case, could not erase for his and Sophie’s exhaustion. In fact, he couldn’t account for what exactly brought him to this point. 

But he was here, in their shared room at the inn, interrupting their average conversation by pressing his mouth against hers.

In an instant, he realized how stupid and pointless this human act was. There were no sparks, no “tingles.” No amorous intent, not like the kind he was forced to be backseat to in earlier days. The only emotion he could define that made him do it was, curiosity. But it didn’t seem correct. After holding the kiss for an entirety of four seconds, Lambda pulled himself away. 

Sophie had barely moved, let alone blinked during the kiss. Her expression was surprisingly blank, even as she tilted her head to the side. “What are you doing, Lambda?” 

If she didn’t understand what was happening, then perhaps she was as dense as her father. Lambda’s frown returned to his face, and he turned away to walk toward the snowy window overlooking Fendel’s mountains. “It was nothing. Ignore it.”

“Ignore a kiss?”

Lambda’s skin prickled in annoyance. “Why are you so concerned about something so insignificant?”

“It’s just so sudden from you.” Sophie said in her soft, earnest voice. “And Mom, Cheria told me that’s what you do when you like someone, that you want to be with them. You give them a kiss.”

“...Are you sure the years haven’t rotted your memory?”

“No, it  _ hasn’t _ .” The shift in Sophie’s tone was seismic. Then she was silent. Slight guilt traced through his mind. It had been years since he last heard her raise her voice. “...I remember when you first got a body of your own. I was happy, so I tried to hug you, but you didn’t react. But later, I saw you with all the children in a big group hug.”

“If you remember that, you should know I was ambushed.” Lambda muttered. “You should remember my expression as well.”

Sophie chuckled. “You didn’t look very happy.”

“...Why are you bringing this up?”

“Because… You’ve changed a lot, Lambda. You aren’t as closed off as before, and while you still don’t go around hugging everyone, I’ve seen how you reach out to others.” A light pause. “But I still don’t understand. Lambda, why did you  _ kiss _ me?”

A quick glance back. Sophie’s lavender gaze was soft, her face pink from the cold. What did he mean behind it… Even he had no real answer. Truly he didn’t require something so… human. 

It was mere nostalgia, he decided. Walking side by side with the one created to exterminate him was a relief. Sophie would pout and gently chastise him for his cold remarks, even stand back to back in battle with him. How the painful memories faded away to mere anecdotes, and soon painful inside jokes. The miracle of the change that 187 years could bring, after generations of cat and mouse.

In fact, it was Sophie’s own words which prompted that infernal act. _ “I’m glad that we’re able to travel together like this. _ ” So simple, yet with a soft voice and warm smile, it was enough in line with his heart that it brought his face to her lips. 

He only wondered how far he had fallen to commit such an act. Perhaps instead of curiosity or nostalgia, some wave of affection moved him. That word felt more accurate by far. 

Affection… Love...

Lambda took a trembling breath. “It truly was nothing. I... also am glad to travel with you, but I reacted improperly.” He held up his chin and continued to stare out the window. The cold magnified the flush on his face. “I assure you, it won’t happen again.”

“...Okay. If you say that’s what it was, I understand.” Sophie’s tone returned to normal, but the quickness in which she accepted his excuse sat wrong in his stomach. “You said you were happy, right? That’s why you kissed me...”

Lambda stared intently through the dark window, tracing the mountain range with his eyes and counting every falling flake before they settled on the window frame. Sophie soon joined him, standing just close enough that her arm brushed his. 

“The snow looks even prettier at night, doesn’t it?”

Lambda nodded, crossing his arms.

“You know, there are lots of other ways to show that you like being with someone…”

Lambda stifled an annoyed sigh. “I know that.”

“Do you? I don’t think it’s normal for people to just go straight for a kiss.” Her tone was teasing. Lambda frowned. How long would Sophie hold that against him? “You could start with something simpler, like…”

Sophie reached across and pulled Lambda’s arms free and, before he could protest, she pressed her palm into his, holding his hand tightly against her side. At once, all the emotions that escaped him earlier began to swell in his chest. Lambda’s thin eyes were wide as he stared at her. She smiled back. 

“Is holding hands okay?” She asked, her tone sweet and slightly embarrassed.

How shamelessly she had grabbed his hand, as if it wasn’t him that kissed her first. Lambda tried to scoff, but couldn’t find his breath. “I-If it makes you happy. I don’t care what you do.”

“It  _ does _ make me happy. And I think you’re happy too.”

“Ridiculous. Don’t pretend you can read my thoughts.”

Sophie pouted. “...You’re a bad liar, Lambda.”

“…”

The silence that followed sat unwell on him. It was a mix of awkward calm and pathetic humiliation. As the moment wore on, the warmth from Sophie’s small but strong hand spread up his arm and all through his body. The longer they touched, the less Lambda wanted to let go. And with the length of his life, he never had to. Fighting whatever change was upon him now would only waste his time. If we was to live on, he couldn’t waste a moment.

And if she really could read his thoughts, would she feel the same…?

Sophie broke the silence. “You know, even though you can be grumpy, I really am happy we can be together.” She lightly pressed her head against his shoulder. “We don’t have to worry about being alone.”

Lambda’s grip tightened around Sophie’s hand. Their fingers weaved together, unbreakable. “Yes… And I am happy to journey with you, Sophie.”


End file.
